禄丰古猿化石地点地层概述

本文较详尽地记述了云南禄丰古猿化石地点附近的地质、地貌、地层情况以及产出古猿及大量脊椎动物化石的剖面。     

云南禄丰古猿化石产地的竹鼠化石

本文记述了近年来经过多次发掘和采用筛洗方法从禄丰古猿化石产地获得的一批竹鼠化石标本,共有一属3种: Brachyrhizomys nagrii;Brachyrhizomys cf.pilgrimi和Brachyrhizomystetracharax以及2枚单个牙齿属于暂不宜订种属的类型。     

地点覆盖度、集合群落、地质时期动物群:联接古生物学和现代种群生物学的概念

在古生物群落中新近出现的地点覆盖度或发生率的概念,以及对生物集合种群的空间动态学的深入了解,使古生物学和现代生物学的联系更加紧密。集合群落的概念以及地质时期动物群的古生物学认识显示,将古生物学和生态学结合在一起是大有希望的。评述了目前对这些概念的理解,并以欧亚大陆大型食草动物群落的发育作为范例,介绍了运用这些理论来研究化石记录的方法。研究结果表明,化石记录中种群覆盖度的研究可以在以化石为基础的进化研究和以现生有机体为基础的进化研究之间架起一座桥梁。地点覆盖度最大的类群,像现代生态学中发生率最大的类群一样,往往是地理分布最广泛、在当地最丰富的类群。     

辽西中上侏罗统土城子组植物化石的新发现

报道产自辽宁北票三宝营土城子组２种木化石及１０种植物化石（包括５新种）。它们反映了干旱气候条件下沙漠绿洲型的植被特征,时代属时代属中晚侏罗世。     

一种观察被子植物压膜化石细微叶结构特征的有效方法

被子植物叶化石的研究已有一百多年的历史。传统的研究方法一直是以叶宏观特征(ｌｅａｆｇｒｏｓｓｆｅａｔｕｒｅ)为依据的“对图版”方法(“ｐｉｃｔｕｒｅｍａｔｃｈｉｎｇ”ｍｅｔｈｏｄ),即寻找宏观特征与化石叶相似的现代植物叶,作为对化石叶进行分类和命名的基础和依据。这种方法其结果的可信度缺乏保障,甚至经常导致错误的结论(Ｄｉｌｃｈｅｒ,1974;ＫｖａｃｅｋａｎｄＷａｌｔｈｅｒ,1978;Ｉｌｊｉｎｓｋａｊａ,1978)。Ｈｉｃｋｅｙ等归纳、总结的叶结构分析法(ｌｅａｆａｒｃｈｉｔｅｃｔｕｒａｌａｎａｌｙｓｉｓ)将叶的宏观特征…     

吐鲁番盆地连木沁剖面齐古组轮藻化石

吐鲁番盆地连木沁剖面侏罗系齐古组的轮藻化石在早年资料中未见提及。后期曾有不同单位多人次对此剖面进行观察实测,除偶有提起见到轮藻外,亦均未见描述报道,本文首次正式报道了齐古组的轮藻化石,为吐鲁番盆地齐古组与广布于新疆各地区的齐古组进行横向对比提供了这类化石依据。     

A PRIMARY STUDY OF FOSSIL HILL FLORA FROM FILDES PENINSULA OF KING GEORGE ISLAND, ANTARCTICA

The fossil plants studied in this paper were collected by the Chinese Antarctic Expeditions (1986—1987 and 1987—1988) from the locality Fossil Hill on the Fildes Peninsula southwest of the King George Island of the South Shetland Islands.     

A NEW SEMLIKIICHTHYS FISH (TELEOSTEI, PERCIFORMES) FROM THE UPPER MIOCENE OF CHAD: FOSSIL RECORD AND PALAEOBIOGEOGRAPHICAL IMPLICATIONS

Abstract:  Semlikiichthys is a fossil genus of perciform fish from the Neogene continental deposits of Africa. Until now, it was known in Mio-Pliocene sites of the Great Lake Region and of the River Nile by a single species, S. rhachirhinchus . Here, we describe new Semlikiichthys material recovered from Central Africa (Upper Miocene of Toros-Menalla, western Djurab, Chad), and compare it to S. rhachirhinchus , which is the only known species of the genus, and also with Lates niloticus , which is the fish in African Neogene deposits that most closely resembles it. We attribute the Chadian material to Semlikiichthys darsao sp. nov., based on ten osteological characters of the neurocranium, the maxilla, the dentary and the first vertebra. Our comparative anatomical study also enables us to provide a revised diagnosis for the genus and to reconsider the taxonomic attribution of the fossils assigned to it. Furthermore, the fossil record of Semlikiichthys supports a connection between sub-basins of the Nilo-Sudanese region during the Miocene, and a disruption between the Great Lake and the Nile Basin on the one hand and the Chadian Basin on the other before 7 Ma.     

THE FIDELITY OF THE FOSSIL RECORD: THE IMPROBABILITY OF PRESERVATION

Abstract:  The fidelity of the fossil record reflects how accurately it preserves the history of life. Since Darwin's time any mismatch between our theories and the fossil record has been attributed to the imperfections of the record. For over a century scarcity of gradual evolutionary trends was explained in this way until the punctuated equilibrium model was proposed. A null hypothesis that all morphological patterns in the fossil record are unbiased random walks can be rejected because it predicts far more apparent trends than exist. Current best estimates suggest that trends occur in at most 5% of characters. When an organism dies either it becomes fossilized or it doesn't. To be confident a species has not been preserved the probability against preservation must be significantly larger than the total number of individuals of that species that ever existed. For skeletized species preservation was the norm not the exception. Nevertheless, fossils must then avoid subsequent destruction and be discovered to be useful.     

ENIGMATIC WORM-LIKE ORGANISMS FROM THE UPPER DEVONIAN OF NEW YORK: AN APPARENT EXAMPLE OF EDIACARAN-LIKE PRESERVATION

Abstract:  The supposed polychaete annelid Protonympha salicifolia , from the Upper Devonian (Frasnian) of New York State, USA, is redescribed. P .  salicifolia has a bilateral and segmented body, but appears to have a 'mattress-like' construction with blade-like extensions along the margins. The affinities of P. salicifolia remain unresolved, but a proposed relationship to the annelids is unlikely. The preservation of the three known fossils, as mouldic imprints in sandstones, is strongly reminiscent of the circumstances associated with Ediacaran fossilization, and as such is an anomalous occurrence of such soft-part preservation in Phanerozoic sediments. Material associated with these enigmatic fossils has been referred to Palaeochaeta devonica , and also compared with the annelids. Such an assignment is also rejected. These fossils appear to be arthropodan, and are possibly myriapods. A supposed example of Protonympha (' P '.  marcellensis ) from the Middle Devonian of New York State is now excluded from this genus, and it may be a crustacean.